Coco Gauff booked her place in the Cincinnati finals by defeating Sara Bejlek 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals, and she was no mood to reveal what game plan she had against her opponent. That mystery was kept for a specific reason. After the victory, she was asked:

“Without giving away too many secrets, tell us a little bit into Coco’s mind about your game plan against someone like Sara?”

“I mean… She’s 20. I’m 22. We’re gonna play each other in the future so…” Gauff replied, leaving the rest unsaid but clear: why hand a rising rival a scouting report she’ll only face again down the line.

The 20-year-old Czech stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(9-7), 6-4 in the round of 16, saving a set point in the tie-break and coming back from 1-4 down in the second set to complete her first career win over a top-10 player. It concluded a run that saw her beat compatriots  Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova and then Ekaterina Alexandrova, four straight wins over higher-ranked players before Gauff stopped her sensational winning streak. 

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The victory put Gauff in her third WTA 1000 final of the season, following finals in Miami and Rome, and the most by anyone this season, but still searching for a title. It was also her first time reaching the tournament final in three years. The last time she made it this far, she ended up winning the tournament and then used that momentum to secure her first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2023. The win was also her 38th of the season.

Coco Gauff believes American tennis is in “great hands”

Coco Gauff was in a playful mood afterwards on more than one front. Frances Tiafoe and Jessica Pegula were both in the Cincinnati finals this week, and she couldn’t help but crack a silly opening line before getting serious. 

“It’s great to see the men catch up. I’m just kidding, I’m kidding,” she said. The world No. 4 then made the case for why she feels the depth of American tennis right now is genuinely something to be proud of, pointing to Tiafoe’s work ethic in reaching the final, Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima both making the quarters or semis, Ben Shelton’s title in Montreal, and a similarly stacked women’s side featuring herself, Pegula, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova all deep in results this season. She said it was difficult to remember all the names given because too many Americans were doing so well at the same time, proof of a genuinely strong, supportive generation rather than just a good week.

“Jess is a great person and she’s one of the people when I came on tour, one of the older players who was so nice to me from the beginning, and it’s something that I have such mad respect for her for. We had a tough match at Wimbledon, and so I’m imagining it’s going to be another tough match,” she added, talking about her upcoming opponent, someone who welcomed her onto tour years earlier.

That Wimbledon match was every bit as tight as she suggested. Gauff came back from a set down to beat Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals in July, a result that narrowed Pegula’s career head-to-head lead to 5-4. Earlier this season, Pegula overcame Gauff in the rankings to secure the world No. 3 position. If Gauff manages to win the tournament, she will close the gap between the two players, but there will still be a difference of 500 points, keeping the 32-year-old in the lead. 

On Sunday, Gauff will play Pegula for the title, with Tiafoe facing Arthur Fils in the men’s final, offering a real opportunity for American tennis to claim both championships on the same weekend heading to the US Open.